When it comes to rib pain causes, there are many people that find themselves worried about the symptoms, as through the ribs there are locations of essential organs. Learning the cause of certain rib pains and aches can help to quell the difficulties and worries that come along with experiencing pain throughout the chest cavity.

Muscle StrainMuscle strain is one of the most common causes of rib pain that you should consider while experiencing pain through the chest cavity. Pain through the chest cavity can be caused by strain through the shoulder area, as well as through the entire chest area. Through the pain that can be caused by muscle strain, symptoms can persist for upwards of three to four weeks. It is important to treat the muscle pain with natural remedies to reduce the over medicating that can occur for these types of injuries.

Anxiety Anxiety is one of the common causes of rib pain. Through the many signs and symptoms that are associated with anxiety and tightness within the chest that can present as rib pain is one of the most common symptoms that is associated with anxiety. Taking the time to practice deep breathing as well as other relaxation techniques can be one of the most effective ways to reduce the rib pain that is associated with anxiety.

Pneumonia Pneumonia is one of the most common causes of rib pain. Through the condition, where the pain is persistent and can last for up to two months before the diagnosis is made there is often an ache in the chest which can be associated with a cough and other symptoms of an infection within the body. As one of the most common symptoms that is associated with rib pain, it is important to seek medical attention in the case that you are experiencing rib pain that is combined with coughing and other symptoms that are comparable with an infection.

There are many types of lung infections and many other types of infections that can develop into pneumonia and for this reason it is important to seek proper medical treatment for these infections.

OsteoarthritisOsteoarthritis is a common condition that can affect up to three million men and women throughout the country and can cause pain through the rib cage. The condition can affect the joints and the bones and cause stiffness and weakness but also pain and aches through the affected areas. Most often the other joints are first affected before the bones of the rib cage begin to experience the pain that can be seen.

Learning the causes of rib pain can be an effective way to ensure that you get the right diagnosis for the pain that is associated with the rib cage. Through the various conditions that can cause rib pain it is important to learn the cause that is plausible for the pain in order to make the correct diagnosis. It is important to take into account the rib pain, but also take into account the other symptoms that are associated with the rib pain when making the diagnosis.

Are you trying to determine the symptoms of a delayed menstrual cycle? There are many causes of delayed menstrual cycle. Some of the leading causes include: malnutrition, stress, and even breast feeding from the physiological processes and hormone changes that are occurring in the body. Through the changes which can occur in the body, there are many systems which can be affected and the menstrual cycle can be delayed for many other reasons than pregnancy.

Here are some of the common explanations that are available for delayed menstrual cycles in women:

Breastfeeding Breastfeeding changes the physiology of the hormones in the body and although the body may still enter the phase of ovulation, it can change the process of menstruation in the body.

Malnutrition and Weight Loss Malnutrition and weight loss are one of the leading causes of delayed menstrual cycle symptoms. In these cases, the body loses an extreme amount of body fat and therefore the process of menstruation is stopped. In most cases, once the body mass is in balance, menstruation can continue.

Alternatively, being overweight can also trigger a change in the hormones and therefore can change the menstrual cycle.

Stress Stress is one of the leading causes of a delayed menstrual cycle. When the body enters a period of stress, the hormones, as well as many other components in the body are altered and this may include the hormones which are responsible for signaling the menstrual cycle. Therefore, at times of extreme stress, or even if you are susceptible to stress, you may experience a delayed menstrual cycle.

Medications There are many types of medications that can cause interruption in the hormone cycle. In the case that you are experiencing disruption through the menstrual cycle.

Menopause Menopause is one of the leading causes of a delayed menstrual cycle symptoms. Through menopause, the hormones which are responsible for the menstrual cycle are reduced and becoming lower in concentration through the body and therefore the menstrual cycle is not only delayed, but eventually stops completely.

Pregnancy Through pregnancy, there is no menstrual cycle, as the body stops releasing egg since ovulation has resulted in fertilization. In the case that you are more than five days late for your cycle and sexually active, it is important to obtain a pregnancy test, to rule out pregnancy. Once you have ruled out pregnancy, you can make an appointment with your physician to determine the cause of the delayed menstrual cycle.

It is important to remember that there are many causes of delayed menstruation, rather than pregnancy. Learning these causes can help you to rule out various conditions and illnesses to illustrate the reason that the menstrual cycle has been delayed.

If you are unable to rule out any of these causes, it is recommended that you schedule a visit with your health care provider. Scheduling a visit can help to find the cause of the delayed menstrual cycle through the use of diagnostic testing measures, including lab work and other types of tests.

The best age to get pregnant; well, that’s a difficult question altogether. This is because life is different for every women and so the time of pregnancy. You must have heard from your friends, family members, colleagues that the best age to get pregnant is the younger age. But that may not be acceptable for every woman. You may be busy building your career at this time, looking after your aging parents or simply you have not reached your soul mate yet. So many factors come into play in deciding the best age.

If you take a look around your circle, you will find that many women are having their first baby at the tender age of 20-25 years. Many of them will have their second or third baby when they reach 40 years. So you see that there is no such problem that you may not have your baby at the late hours of your life. Science has taken a big leap since the invention of ‘test-tube baby’ and it is possible to get a child even for a single mother.

Biologically, the best age to get pregnant is 22-25 years for the first baby. At this age, all the parameters remain normal to deliver a healthy child. The body can produce enough hormones that help to carry on the pregnancy. A woman can get pregnant as soon as she starts menstruating. It can be as earlier as 12 years of age. The ovaries start ovulation and a single sperm can fertilize the ovum. But the body constitution at this age does not help to grow a healthy baby inside womb. Many a times, miscarriage occurs due to poor formation of placental gonadotropin. As the age goes beyond 30 years, there is chance of first time mother to deliver a child having multiple congenital defects. Low IQ, congenital malformation, low birth weight baby, intrauterine growth retardation – all these can be evident in a baby if the mother delivers at this age.

Breast cancer can be defined as rapid and uncontrolled growth of normal breast tissues resulting into a mass formation. Breast cancer is the most common form of malignant condition in women. But it does not spare the male either. In the US alone, 182 460 female and 1990 male patients were reported as new cases of breast cancer in 2008. What is more disturbing that 40,480 female and 450 male breast cancer patients died during the same year.

According to histopathological (laboratory finding) observation, breast cancer can be classified into several categories. The commonest variety of breast cancer is adenocarcinoma. This type of cancer originates from the glandular tissues of breast, not from the collagen fibrous structures. Origin of cancer is most commonly seen in the small ducts. These are present just below the nipple. The initial stage of breast cancer is defined as Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS). Extensive management with surgery and chemotherapy at this stage can cure breast cancer totally. But, unfortunately, less number of patients report to doctor in this early stage.

When the tumor cells are localized in a specific lobe of a breast, the condition is called lobular carcinoma. Some infrequent types of breast cancer can also affect patients. They are medullary breast cancer, inflammatory breast cancer, phyllodes tumor, angiosarcoma of the breast (cancer occurring in the blood vessels feeding breast tissue) and Paget’s disease of the nipple.

Breast cancer commonly metastasizes to the axillary lymph nodes of the same side. In later stages, it can spread to other lymph nodes of the opposite axilla and neck, bones (particularly spine), liver and brain.

Breast cancer can occur in members of the same family. But the rate is only 5-10 percent. Researchers discovered two genes – the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, which are associated with familial presentation of breast cancer. If a woman had an acute exposure to ionizing radiation in her childhood, she has a fourfold chance of developing breast cancer. Tobacco smoking, women experiencing early menarche (onset of menstruation) and late menopause, prolong use of oral contraceptive pills are known predisposing factor for breast cancer. Breast feeding can reduce the chance of occurrence. This is the reason, women without having any child have shown more chance for developing breast cancer.

The earliest symptom of breast cancer is an obvious mass in the breast. Of course, all breast lumps are not breast cancer. It is seen that more than 80% cases of breast cancer have been diagnosed after the patient has reported to her doctor after feeling a palpable lump in the breast. Whitish discharge from the nipple which is unlikely to be milk is common. The white discharge can sometimes be mixed with blood. Retraction of nipple on the affected side is common in later stage. There may be redness of the skin and pitting edema over the lump. This is characteristically seen in breast cancer giving an orange skin like appearance (Peau-dè-orange).

Breast cancer can be detected by palpation of the lump, Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of the lump and consecutive PAP staining. Mammography is done to screen a case of breast cancer. It is recommended for every woman to examine her breast after the age of 30 to see if there is formation of any lump.

Earlier, radical mastectomy comprising removal of the whole breast tissue along with the axillary lymph nodes of the same side was done. Now, as there is advancement in the surgical technique, removal of the lump is done (conservative breast surgery). Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy are also advised depending upon the stage of breast cancer.

Every one of us cherishes a notion to live a long healthy life. But often we forget to have a diet that is really healthy to our body. Instead, in this jet paced society, we are slowly but surely inclining towards junk ‘convenient foods’. But these convenient foods are damaging every organ of our body, not to mention some of the ingredients have a direct deleterious effect. So what are the eating options we have? Which are those healthy foods that help our body to flourish and to combat against diseases? Let us discuss these factors.

Have you ever heard of food pyramid? This pyramid tells you which food is good for your health and to take as much as possible and from which foods you should refrain yourself. At the bottom of the pyramid is the orange zone. It is the zone of the grain foods. Cereals, breads, rice, pastas, crackers are included in this group. Your maximum daily calorie intake should come from this group only. It is better to take whole grain foods rather than milled and polished grains. Whole grain food retains the original nutrients which is lost during the milling process. Besides, having a whole grain cereal will make the bowel movement easier.

Next comes the green zone of vegetable group. You must eat fresh green leafy vegetables as much as possible. Vegetables are the main source of vitamins and minerals and give us 80% of the total requirement. It is better to eat a wider variety of vegetables rather than depending upon limited numbers. You must eat vegetables of different colors as they are rich in different vitamins. For example, yellow and green vegetables are rich in Vitamin A whereas, dark orange and dark green vegetables contain high amount of Vitamin C.

You must eat at least one of the seasonal fruits each day. Fruits are also rich and balanced source of vitamin and minerals. It is always better to take fresh fruit or natural fruit juice than juices containing preservatives.

Next comes the oil group. Oils are notorious to produce cholesterol in our body. Try to prepare foods with less oil. It is better to take oils having more Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid than Monounsaturated or saturated fatty acid. Sunflower oil, safflower oil, sesame oil are good examples of heart friendly oils. Avoid butter, ghee (clarified butter), cheese and whole milk. Foods containing oils are the main culprit for weight gain.

Always try to take white meat instead of beef or pork. This is true for poultry also. Sea fishes are good to your health are they are rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Although meat is the supreme source of class I protein (animal protein), they offer enough cholesterol to damage our health.

Maximum amount of your daily calorie requirement should come from the breakfast and dinner should be light. This formula will help you in losing weight or maintaining it if you don’t want to add some pounds.

Boiling, grilling or broiling are the better methods of cooking than fried or roasted food. Boiled food retains the nutritional value and it is good for your health also. Cut your portion of each meal. Avoid alcohol, tea, coffee and tobacco.

Taking healthy food is the easiest and cheapest way to live a longer vigorous life. A lot of diseases can be averted by eating a healthy diet. Millions of people throughout the world have gained by eating healthy foods. Now it’s your turn to become healthy.

Our tears express many of our moods. The things make you sad will bring tears to your eyes. Again on the extreme opposite hand, tremendous enjoyment also makes you cry. But have you ever thought of the situation when your eyes become dry? Well, it can happen and the condition is called Dry Eyes Syndrome.

Dry Eyes Syndrome is medically termed as Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca or Sicca syndrome. More than 10 million American citizens are suffering from dry eyes. If the tear is evaporated from the eyes at a rate which is more than normal or more commonly if the production of tear by the tear gland becomes compromised, the Dry Eye Syndrome (DES) can occur. Tears are the main source of nutrition and lubrication of the most outer part of our eyes. In case there is less tear production, this outer surface becomes dry. And every moment we blink or come in contact with the outer world, this layer gets irritated. Now let us know that the outer layer of the eyes is very much delicate. Here lies the cornea through which light rays fall over the lens and after that to the retina. If there is less amount of tear, there will be friction between the inner surface of the eyelids and the outer layer of the eyes. After a certain time, there is fair chance of production of opacity over the cornea, which means blindness.

The common symptoms of DES include a constant irritation on the eyes. You will feel that some small particles have entered and there is continuous gritty sensation. In DES, both the eyes are usually involved. There will be pain in the eyes, redness and feeling of heaviness behind the eyeball. There is secretion of exudative white fluid from the eyes which does not relieve the symptoms. The symptoms worsen in conditions of constant gazing like sitting in front of a computer, watching television, reading or driving. They also aggravate in windy and smoky atmosphere and become a bit lessened in humid conditions.

As it was already mentioned, DES occurs when there is less production of tear from the eyes. The cause is mainly idiopathic (where the actual cause cannot be differentiated). The common medical conditions where it can occur are – congenital absence of tear (lacrimal) glands, Xerophthalmia (Vitamin A deficiency), Sjögren’s syndrome, Rhuematoid Arthritis, SLE and Wegner’s granulomatosis. Long standing use of some drugs like diuretics, antidepressants, oral contraceptives and some hypertensive drugs can bring out DES.

Your ophthalmologist can diagnose the case only from the symptoms itself. Schirmer’s test is performed to quantify the amount of tears produced from the lacrimal glands. Recent development in diagnosing DES is to measure a special molecule called Ap4A in the tears. It can increase in some cases of DES.

Your doctor will tell you to avoid the conditions where you may have to gaze for a long time. The treatment includes instillation of artificial tear preparations over the eyes and to block the tear outflow system that drain out tears. Presently, there are over-the-counter artificial tear preparations available which means you don’t have to carry a doctor’s prescription to buy a product. Food additives containing Omega-3 fatty acid have shown to reduce the symptoms of DES to a certain extent. Instillation of Cyclosporin drop has also beneficial activity on DES. A small surgical procedure can block the mouth of the tear drainage system.

DES can be very irritable. You must consult the ophthalmologist once you feel that your eyes have become dry. Early diagnosis can make the condition more favorable.

The best way to change your bad eating habits is to do it very slowly. If you try to change everything all at once, it will seem too hard to maintain. Try changing one thing at a time. For example, perhaps you like a morning cappuccino. Decide to stop drinking your morning cappuccino and drink bottled water instead. Don’t change anything else about your eating habits until you feel totally comfortable about that dietary change. Then move on to something else, like healthy snacks. Instead of that chocolate energy bar, pack a piece of fruit and a small tub of yogurt. Essentially fruit is natures snack food, it’s also cheaper. Once you’re comfortable with this change, then move onto something else. You get the picture. When you’ve got your diet sorted out, then you can move on to getting some exercise into your lifestyle.

So it doesn’t have to be an abrupt change you just need to understand more about what you are eating and what the energy value is and the nutrient value of the foods you are consuming, and make slow but sure changes to your lifestyle.